In the chaos of the big box, Werner Ladder stands tall.
WHAT WE DID
Research
Strategy
Merchandising Solutions
Messaging
Packaging
Things can get a little busy in the big home-improvement stores. Brands and information come at the customer fast, from all angles. Stock gets shifted away from its relevant signage, shoppers leave things in disarray, competing brands fight for limited aisle space.
Facing these challenging big-box conditions, Werner Ladder came to Simon/Myers. The assignment: a superior packaging system that would make Werner’s formidable product line easy to shop, and as a result, earn customer preference and increase sales.
RESULTS
5
unique ladder attributes depicted clearly
537
SKUs updated using the flexible new system
10000+
stores engaged, including The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware
Measure twice, cut once.
Our process always begins with research. A thorough audit of the ladder aisles in home stores confirmed two of our expectations: First, product families with distinct colorways can make a display feel bigger than it is, and provide welcome guideposts to customers; second, most customers do not traverse the entire aisle first – they lock in on the packaging and compile their information right then and there. Those learnings put more impetus on our on-ladder concepts.
Making 5 variables work from every angle.
It was imperative that the new information architecture conveyed 5 variables – ladder style, height/reach, material, performance rating, and features – in a fast, logical manner. Messaging had to be bilingual-friendly, and the graphic language had to be instantly understood.
No problem. We designed a flexible approach that could be extended across hundreds of SKUs and product sizes. We specified typography, icons, and imagery to be consistent for all ladder families so that shoppers could make easy comparisons.
A step up for more than 10,000 stores.
The new packaging and its information architecture was an instant hit. And because it was designed with such flexibility, Werner used it to update their entire product line (537 SKUs) across 10,000+ stores at The Home Depot, Lowe’s and Ace Hardware.
